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Mobile websites that add a few HTML5-based bells and whistles can boost their user engagement by more than a quarter, according to data from Usablenet. Sites that used HTML5 to offer interactive galleries, location services, overlays and expandable boxes got more page views and had lower bounce rates than less sophisticated sites, the study found.

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New digital vending machines that hype their novelty are designed to inspire viral sharing, industry experts say. Coca-Cola's machines have set the industry mark in Singapore, trading Cokes for hugs, and in Belgium, where acting as a vending-machine-instructed agent earned tickets to "Skyfall." Other brands such as Douwe Egberts are waking up to the connection, building machines that dispense coffee for yawns and reaping a viral whirlwind, writes Gabriel Beltrone.

Big digital agencies such as Razorfish and SapientNitro are looking to win retail clients with a new range of in-store offerings. Razorfish has assembled a 750-foot faux retail space where potential clients can check out cutting edge digital tools such as ad and special-offer targeting based on shoppers' gender and age. "Sometimes [clients] need to tangibly come in to get it," explains Razorfish exec Jonathan Hull.

Smartphone users can search by item or category, browse and buy on Dollar Tree's new mobile-optimized website. The Usablenet-powered site also links to the retailer's Facebook and Twitter pages. "The site leverages new HTML5 features that include expandable and collapsible menus to improve site navigation and maximizes the smartphone's small screen design," said Usablenet CEO Nick Taylor.

Elaborate lawn mowers, with amenities such as iPod compartments, cruise control, chrome hubcaps and alternative fuels, are becoming increasingly popular, writes Gwendolyn Bounds. These types of mowers generally start at around $3,000 but can cost more than $10,000 -- about the same as a 2010 Nissan Versa, she notes. The trend is helping sales: U.S. shipments of riders are expected to increase more than 6% during the next two years after double-digit decreases for the past two years.

For its first job for the Nike 6.0 Extreme Sports Group, Hub Strategy rigged a 1959 amphibious truck with a skate ramp, surf racks, skateboard rails, BMX racks and a barbecue grill, for use at the Mountain Dew Action Sports Tour and other events. The vehicle was one of 20 ideas submitted to the shop in response to Nike's "Holy Crap!" brief, which sought projects that would inspire people to reach for their camera phones and circulate viral clips, according to this article.